Swiss racer wins EC premiere

16.01.2017

Gilles Roulin, who is something of an unknown quantity, won the first Europacup-Downhill on the Streif during the 77th Hahnenkamm-Race Week.
While his fellow racers were having a tough time on the course, which was a little shorter compared to the World Cup length (Start: Mausefalle/Finish: Oberhausberg), the 22-year-old Swiss racer with bib number 22 set the best time. So far, Roulin has landed only one other podium position at an EC-Race.
Adrian Smiseth Sejersted (NOR) was hot on his heels and came in second, only four hundredths of a second behind Roulin and Nicolas Raffort (FRA) came third.
Johannes Kröll (+0,56 seconds) was the fastest ÖSV-Racer (Austrian Ski Association), racing to sixth place. However, the 25-year-old’s run was not without its faults. “Things were going wrong from the beginning. I didn’t get off to a clean start and had a problem at the first bump. I really wanted to hit the Steilhang at full speed, but noticed that my ski kept pulling away”, he describes his run. “When I got to the finish I was quite annoyed about being behind. I actually had it all under control.”
However, he praised the EC premiere: “It’s the best race we’ve had in the Europacup so far, for sure.”
Stefan Babinsky (8.), Frederic Berthold (9th) and Joachim Puchner (10th) are the other three ÖSV racers who made it into the Top-10. Berthold, who came third at the World Cub-Combined in Wengen, is a little annoyed: “I messed up my entrance to the Steilhang and lost a lot of time because of it.” Now he wants to concentrate on the Hahnenkamm-Downhill this Saturday, where he claims to have a sure spot on the start list. “That was actually my main reason for racing in today’s Downhill: to get a feel for part of the course.”
Brennan Rubie (USA) surprised us all in his run today. With bib number 86 and last to race, his result (15th place) was all the more impressive. “My last Downhill was three years ago and I broke my leg doing it. I just wanted to have fun today”, explains Rubie, who used the time between the piste inspection and the race to explore the Kitzbühel Ski Resort.
Hans Pum, Sport Director of the ÖSV, praised the athletes after watching them race: “Skiing on this World Cup course is a very special occasion indeed. It’s a great opportunity for the athletes to get to know the Streif. I would also like to congratulate the Kitzbühel Ski Club (host of the Hahnenkamm-Races) for the professional organisation. To host an EC-Race as well as the Hahnenkamm-Races deserves respect”.
Full Results of the Europacup-Downhill for downloading: